Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Honestly, it's not the medals that I feel so proud of. It's the way I conducted myself as an athlete, the hard work that I put forward.
I know how to smile, I know how to laugh, I know how to play. But I know how to do these things only after I have fulfilled my mission.
There was no child oncology in Uzbekistan and in Russia you don't have a chance because there are already so many on the waiting lists.
I feel like when there's so much conversation about women's athletics right now, we need to focus on their performance and their skill.
Gymnastics has become degraded as the participants have become younger. Once it was a sport of grace for women, never for little girls.
Everyone is like, 'What were you thinking on the podium?' I'm like, I'm just like probably thinking, like, 'We're hungry,' to be honest.
It's just incredible how people come up to me and say, 'Gabby, you inspire me to do anything I can set my mind to.' It's truly an honor.
I grew up doing gymnastics. It requires discipline, eating right, getting sleep, lots of sacrifice. But the pros outweigh the sacrifice.
It's important to push yourself further than you think you can go each and every day - as that is what separates the good from the great.
I have a secret sibling that I never knew existed and who was given up for adoption at birth by my parents, and she was born without legs.
I can barely recall a single holiday when my father didn't make a scene or create some kind of chaos. We were always walking on eggshells.
It's going to be really weird when I'm 80 years old, in a walker, and people are still calling me America's sweetheart. We need a new one.
I've never wanted to be anything but a gymnast. Maybe it is dangerous-but when you start thinking about danger, you might as well give up.
My message is to never quit, never give up. When you have a little trouble here and there, just keep fighting. In the end, it will pay off.
I cant justify taking money away from hungry kids and needy schools to pay for the Games when corporations are willing to write the checks.
Image isn't everything, It's what comes from your heart, and what you learn and what you say and how you act that means more than anything.
I learned to take those experiences that were difficult in my life and in the adversity that I had overcome to use it for a positive change.
You're in the gym eight hours a day; you're not preparing for cameras and running around and doing tour stops and making acting appearances.
People assume a lot of things about gymnasts - that the girls work too hard, it's way too much for them, they are too young to work so hard.
Gymnastics has given me everything in my life. I will continue to stay involved and try to give back to the sport that has given me so much.
I was raised into the Romanian Orthodox culture by my parents, and most notably my mother, who is a profoundly religious and spiritual woman.
What can you know about life at 14? I have learned a lot since, but you learn slowly. You get hit by many things and try to make sense of it.
I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.
In the '80 Olympics... people expected me to win. I was good enough to win, and I made a mistake and ended up second, which is pretty good, too.
Go into the sport because you have fun doing it, not because of 'what ifs' and dreams of gold medals. That way, no matter what happens, you win.
There is always going to be a reason why you can't do something; your job is to constantly look for the reasons why you can achieve your dreams.
Endure the journey that you take to reach your top moment. You might not get there right now but when you do, remember what you did to get there.
It's amazing that I can inspire little kids to know that you can be short or tall, and your body type doesn't matter because you can do anything.
It was a very long and hard decision. My dad kept telling me, 'You can always go to college, but you can't always go pro.' That made sense to me.
As a kid growing up, I was never like, 'I want to go to the Olympics,' so having to pass on 2012 because I was too young didn't bother me at all.
I was supporting Aly [Raisman]. I will always will support them and respect them. I don't want anyone to take it as jealous or I wanted attention.
Of course, I grew up in Communist Romania, but I am happy to say that now our country is democratic, and prospering, since the revolution in 1989.
And from that nineteen sixty four, this was my goal to go to Olympic Games. And I realized what does it mean, Olympic Games, like big celebration.
I had a constant fear, a constant little doubt in my mind: 'OK, I'm getting ready to do my standing back full on beam and I might re-tear my ACL.'
I think I'm teaching my teammates that they can still be successful while having fun and enjoying the moment rather than being a stone cold brick.
I'm on my own, luckily doing well, but like I said, we don't make a ridiculous amount of money and I have to be disciplined with what I do with it.
It was good to be a kid because I did not realise all the things that came with the success. Going to the Games, I was asked what I expected to do.
I brought a lot of my own pieces of clothes to the design room when I first met with the design team just so they could see what my style was like.
I feel like it's harder because everyone knows I'm the three-time world champion - it's almost like people are waiting for something bad to happen.
I'm very disciplined in many aspects of my life, and I think a lot of that has to do with how I was raised and the sport I've been in my whole life.
The majority of the things that I do, I'm actually afraid to do, but you just have to have a positive attitude and block out any fears that you have.
Serena Williams [ispires me]. The first time I met her, she was like, "We should hang out and go to dinner," and I'm like, "Uh, yeah! If you insist."
As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we've been given.
I live for Pilates reformer class. I go at least three times a week. It's a great way to lengthen your muscles, stretch, and kind of relax your mind.
Most people would focus on concentrating more, and I can't do that. It almost makes me overthink a lot of my things. I have to focus on not thinking.
When I was trying out for my first Olympics at 16, my family and coaches tried to regulate what I ate. But the stricter they got, the more I rebelled.
I did do Broadway for a little less than a year and realized quickly I don't have a passion for it and, more importantly, I don't have a talent in it.
I got injured at the Olympic Trials in 2000. I could not jump. I could not walk on my leg properly. I couldn't bend my knee. I couldn't straighten it.
Not only is yoga excellent for flexibility, but it is also a great tool for longevity and injury prevention, as it allows for internal body awareness.
Every year, I think of Worlds as the big meet, but now, it's the Olympics. I'm blessed to even have the opportunity to think about it and work for it.